18 November 2025 | 16:45–18:15 | Side Event Room 9

Countries affected by conflict face particular challenges in ensuring food security and adapting to climate change. This side event will focus on legal and policy approaches to soil protection, humanitarian mine clearance for soil restoration, and locally anchored adaptation strategies.

The energy-related use of wood remains an important component of Germany’s energy and heat supply. However, recent scientific findings suggest that wood cannot be considered a renewable energy source without qualification under the Paris climate goals. Against this background, Markus Lehnshack analysed how current legislation assesses the climate impact of the energy-related use of wood in a study for the German Environment Agency.

Within the hyBit research project, IKEM examined the industrial port of Bremen as a case study to analyse the legal framework for the efficient use of industrial waste heat. The study concludes that significant regulatory gaps remain.

In particular, the lack of clear legal provisions governing waste heat utilisation and the absence of a federal legal entitlement for producers to feed heat into existing district heating networks are major barriers to wider adoption.

A recent ruling by the Naumburg Higher Regional Court on gender-inclusive language in judgments raises questions about the balance between legal clarity and equality. This article by Annika Weber and Markus Lehnshack explores the legal admissibility of gender-neutral formulations and their sociological relevance for identity, visibility, and power in the institutional context of the judiciary.

In his contribution to the anthology Regenerative Futures and Artificial Intelligence, Ingo Uhlig combines a vision of urban mobility in 2045 with an empirical analysis of current attitudes towards sustainable transport.

Our friends at Ellery Studio present their new book in Berlin – the sequel to the Infographic Energy Transition Colouring Book – focusing on the future of heat. The launch on 4 November will be moderated by our colleague Anika Nicolaas Ponder.

Swapping rented flats could offer advantages for climate protection and housing supply. The WWF webinar on 20 November will explore how such a concept could be implemented. Leonie Durschang will participate as an expert on the legal framework.

The procurement of gas is undergoing major change. How strategies and partnerships evolve in this dynamic environment – and what role innovative procurement approaches may play in the future – will be the focus of the next Berlin Energy Roundtable on 26 November at VNG AG.

Our colleague Leandra Schulz participated as a regulatory expert in this DVGW course on 7–8 October, where participants gained a comprehensive overview of the legal and policy frameworks for hydrogen.

From 7 to 9 October, Athen hosted the third project meeting and stakeholder workshop of the European research project UPTAKE on negative emission technologies. Dr Michael Kalis and Till Reinholz attended on behalf of IKEM, with Till also moderating a panel on challenges, opportunities, and global justice issues in CO₂ removal.

On 17 October, IKEM and its partners publicly presented the NoWeL4 project, which aims to improve public transport in north-west Berlin through self-driving shuttles. After a detailed planning phase, the vehicles are now taking to the road.

The latest issue of the journal Climate and Law is now available. In light of the upcoming climate negotiations in Brazil (COP30), this edition focuses on soil protection. Contributions include:

• Harald Ginzky: Humanity needs healthy soils – and so does the climate
• Michael Rodi / Oliver C. Ruppel / Márcia Dieguez Leuzinger: Soil protection law and land use as challenges for climate policy
• Till Reinholz / Michael Rodi: Soil protection and land use as challenges for climate law and policy – Germany and the European Union
• Oliver C. Ruppel: Soil protection law in South Africa and the African Union
• Fabrício Augusto da Silva Martins / Bernardo Pablo Sukiennik / Márcia Dieguez Leuzinger: Legal protection of soil and land use as challenges for climate policy in Brazil – livelihoods, agriculture, and food security
• Ievgeniia Kopytsia: Legal Pathways to Sustainable Soil Management in Africa (book review)
• Case law: Estonian Supreme Court – peat extraction and peatland climate protection – a milestone in sustainable land use

Klima & Recht is published in German. Some articles from this month's issue are published in English on the IKEM website.

Are you researching legal aspects of climate change and interested in publishing your work? Contact the editorial team: klimr@ikem.de.

Join the IKEM team! We are currently recruiting:

• Legal trainees
• Interns

We also offer positions for doctoral researchers.

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